I wanted to do a good ride to improve my fitness yesterday and that’s what I got. Not, however, because I rode more quickly than usual but because I had a mechanical problem. I chose to ride to the top of Great Hill, a ride of 15 miles with around 1,500 feet of ascent. TheContinue reading “Harder work than it should have been.”
Trial build of my new boat.
I’ve managed to make almost all the componenet parts for my second boat build, so today I laid the parts on the drive to see what it looked like. Obviously with no paint on the frame it didn’t look anything like finished but I was able at least to sit on board. It feels surprisinglyContinue reading “Trial build of my new boat.”
Back after a week off.
It’s very rare that I take a week off from mountain biking. This only usually happens if I’m away on holiday and in the past I’ve often taken a bike away with me. My most read blog post is an account of a ride in 2019 when I rode the red graded trail at DalbyContinue reading “Back after a week off.”
Boat building progress.
I sold my successful pedal powered dinghy to build a new boat. It is intended to still be pedal driven but to be stable enough to use a sail for additional motive force. It’s proving to be quite a task to build. I decided on a catamaran so immediately this means 2 hulls to buildContinue reading “Boat building progress.”
Flower of the Week, 10th April.
The blossom of our Amelanchier Canadensis is an ephemeral beauty. It’s at its peak now but in less than a week is likely to be gone. Fortunately the shrub has a graceful, arching form and produces a spectacular, brightly coloured display in autumn.
Off Road Again.
After some discomfort in my right knee I rode along the canal bank for my last ride. Today I was back off road properly with a ride most of the way up Great Hill, followed by my favourite descent of all through Brinscall Woods. If you’ve read my writing previously you may think that IContinue reading “Off Road Again.”
Knee problems.
I was putting a shoe on when my right knee just “twanged”. I had a sharp pain at the front, below the kneecap to the left. I had the same thing during a gentle dog walk a couple of weeks ago which soon recovered so I took Ibuprofen for 24 hours this time and theContinue reading “Knee problems.”
Flower of the Week, 5th April.
Things are changing so quickly after what has felt like a long winter. The soil, brown a short time ago, is covering with greenery. Primroses have revealed themselves by one of our ponds. One of my favourites is in bloom, the snakeshead frattilery. Not only are the flowers shaped like a snake’s head but theContinue reading “Flower of the Week, 5th April.”
Changing my plan during the ride.
Yesterday I set off to ride Brinscall Woods for its fantastic downhill sections, which I intended to ride at least twice. Early in the ride, though, whilst skirting the bottom of Healey Nab I realised that the ground was still very wet in places. Apparently we’ve had one of the wettest ever Marches and despiteContinue reading “Changing my plan during the ride.”
Flower of the Week, 1st April.
We have 4 magnolias in our garden and the first to flower this year is Magnolia Stellata. I can only hope that we don’t get any frost or strong winds to taint its beauty. Can you spot our dog, Freddie, in either of the pictures?
Mountainbiker 